Christmas Day is usually a calm day around the Phillips’ household. Kinfolk gatherings and other holiday parties are usually wrapped up by Christmas Eve, which allows us to spend Dec. 25 as a family.
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There’s a wild crabapple tree down by the barn that has never borne fruit, but through the years, it’s become one of our favorite trees. Jilda has kept her eye on it since early November. The small tree held onto its green leaves long after its neighbors.
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When people over 50 need a job, they tend to look for help in all the wrong places. One of the first questions I always ask is, “Have you been to the Career Center?” A surprising percentage of jobseekers say no. One lady told me that she wasn’t trying to get unemployment check, but a job.
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A festive sign featuring the word “PEACE” in large letters is in a prominent location at the center of our family Christmas tree. Unfortunately, the tree has been a source of unrest and strife in our home since we chopped it down and brought it home a little over a week ago.
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Thanks-giving was a low-key event for us this year. We had a few members of the family and some friends over on Thanksgiving Day to do the turkey thang. We may be a minority, but we like to celebrate Halloween in October and Thanksgiving in November. We don’t start decorating for Christmas until December. That’s just the way we roll.
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Two weeks ago, several people called the Daily Mountain Eagle office to report a loud boom.
At first, it seemed to be confined to the Curry area, and there was speculation that there had been an explosion at Duncan Bridge Marina. (It is amazing how specific unfounded rumors can be.)
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A classmate from my old high school alma mater sent me a note this past week. She said it was time to start planning our 50th high school class reunion. Staring at the message for a few minutes, I wiped the screen with my thumb, to make sure I wasn’t seeing things. I wasn’t. Math was never a strong point in my education, but after counting a few times on my fingers, I saw she was right. I’m officially older than dirt.
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